The continued expansion of instrument based cotton classification on a global scale brings many challenges to the international cotton industry. The challenges of international standardization must be met in order to create a seamless instrumentation system that will facilitate international marketing and optimize fiber utilization by the textile industry. The USDA, AMS, Cotton Program is pursuing these challenges through the Universal Cotton Standards Agreement, ICAC's Expert Panel on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC) and through the internationally recognized standardization body of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International. This report focuses primarily on the efforts through CSITC.

The CSITC Expert Panel met in Liverpool, England in late September of 2005. The first CSITC round test was administered jointly by the Cotton Program and the Bremen Cotton Fiber Institute in Bremen, Germany. Preliminary results of the first CSITC round test were discussed in Liverpool. The round test will be used to rate and/or rank the performance of participating labs in an effort to promote international standardization on a global basis. Results from this first round test will be reported in this paper.

Another initiative, which is closely related to the aforementioned international standardization areas, is the Cotton Program effort to assist the China Fiber Inspection Bureau (CFIB) in their five year development plan for an instrument based cotton classification system in China. Information exchanges continue to take place between the Cotton Program and CFIB officials. CFIB continues to procure instruments and expand its instrument classing operations. A progress report is given in this paper regarding the latest status.